oil change

[yellowbee]

I changed my oil for the first time today, I think.
That is, I put 3 quarts of oil in my sv 650 and the window gauge is still saying it is low, really low. I checked the suzuki book and they said it would take 3 quarts. I am puzzled by the whole thing.
Did I do something wrong? Or is it possible that the bike take 3 1/2 quarts of oil?

Y.B.

[themeatmanlandry]

The 3 quarts may be without the filter change.

Read the instructions on how to check the oil carefully.

Was the bike supposed to be on the centerstand?
Are you supposed to run it first and wait 5 minutes?

At any rate, I'd add more oil until it appears to be in the correct range. You may want to call the dealership and ask them a quick question or two.

Congrats on changing the oil, though!! First step towards self-reliance!!

[SDSUsnowboards]

Let me know what went wrong, if anything ok? I want to be self-reliant too! On a related topic how do you lube a chain? I'll do a search later, when I need to get around to doing the chain but until then if anyone has quick advice or wants to explain the basics that'd be cool. I wonder if it's nessesary to take the chain off?

[KatanaMatt]

Yellowbee - Make SURE that your bike is on the centerstand when you check/change your oil. If it's not on the centerstand, then your oil window shouldn't show any oil, but when it's propped up on the center it should come into view. (You have to this while the oil is warm, so ride your bike around for about 5 minutes first, then let the bike cool for about three, then drain... Just like Meat said.)

SDS - Lubing the chain - Get a rag, soak it with kerosene, bike up on centerstand, wipe the chain while turning the wheel. Just a good once over should do it, but you can wipe it twice around if you want. Then, get some chain lube (I use Chain Wax...) and spray onto the chain while turning the back wheel. (Try not to be too liberal with it, though, otherwise you'll sling lube all over the place when you ride...)

Hope this helps!

[yellowbee]

Well, 1st I would like to say thanks for the adivce about call the shop. The mechanic was extremely helpfull. Sometimes, he said, one bike may need a bit more oil than another, even if they are the same make/ model.
Secondly, we disscussed chain lube and frequency. He said, about every 500 miles give or take, depending on the type of riding, you should lube your chain. To clean it altogether; you should get wd40 along with a handful of rags. First spray wd40 until the rag doesn't appear to collect more dirt. Then, spray on lube. Oh, while cleaning the chain you will need to move the bike to access the full rotation of the chain.

[SDSUsnowboards]

YES, I was repelled at the thought of taking the chain off but im glad it seems like a 10 minut proceedure with no chain-taking-off kind of stuff. wd-40 sounds good, I mean, who doesn't have a bunch of that stuff laying around? Also works for squeaky clutch springs in old cars

[themeatmanlandry]

My manual recommends kerosene and it's cheaper than WD-40. Go to the hardware store and look near the space heaters. SOme gasoline stations around here sell it also.

[tlwisner]

Originally Posted by themeatmanlandry

My manual recommends kerosene and it's cheaper than WD-40. Go to the hardware store and look near the space heaters. SOme gasoline stations around here sell it also.

WD-40 is mostly kerosene, so it should be fine. Yay more expensive, but fine. I have had no problem using kerosene and then chain wax spray on my GZ250 chain.

[sparrow]

Lowes actually sells Kerosene in something like a quart can. You can find it on the shelf next to the paint thinners, mineral spirits and so on.

[c50tiger]

Yet another reason I love the shaft drive on my C50

[themeatmanlandry]

Originally Posted by c50tiger

Yet another reason I love the shaft drive on my C50

I can replace my chain and sprockets myself for the cost of the parts. Try that with your "shaft" drive.

[LayinLo]

So....who's really getting "shafted" here?

[themeatmanlandry]

The "shaftee?"

[LayinLo]

[inspiron]

Thanks for your tips here! Yesterday was cleanin' day for my bike - I finally got rid of that stupid warning sticker on the tank (in italian), cleaned and waxed the tank and fenders, polished up the chrome, and got rid of a number of insect cadavers.

My chain was pretty gunked up, so I cleaned it with a good amount of WD-40, then put on some fresh chain-spray. Now all I have to do is figure out how to re-tension the chain, since it has about 2 to 3 inches of "play" and should not have more than about 1" ...

Tomorrow I'm picking up my engine guard, and on Saturday I'm going to have new mirrors mounted on the ends of the handlebars. With the current mirrors, all that I see are my own arms, so I spend alot of time rotating my elbows trying to see if something is right behind me (most caged squids don't know what a safety margin is, and do alot of tailgating).

[prekarious1]

[quote="inspiron"]

My chain was pretty gunked up, so I cleaned it with a good amount of WD-40, then put on some fresh chain-spray. Now all I have to do is figure out how to re-tension the chain, since it has about 2 to 3 inches of "play" and should not have more than about 1" ...
quote]

you simply need to move the rear wheel back a slight amount and that will put the tension on your chain. You should have little marks right behind your rear axle on both sides, these are reference points for when making adjustments. If you do this then make sure you do not get your chain too tight.

[themeatmanlandry]

Never trust those marks. Never.

[SDSUsnowboards]

Question about changing oil and checking oil since I'm still confused.
My bike has been consistently leaking oil... a week after I bought it. So the dealer is gonna look at it and fix it... next week.

There are two lines on the oil gauge, an upper and lower. What do each mean? The bike should be centered to check the oil right? Should the bike be cold or should I run it for 5 minuts to warm it up to get the most accurate reading?

If it gets dangerously low is it ok to top off the oil to keep it up, or is it absolutely not good to mix new and old oil?

If I need to drain the oil how do I do that? Do I need to warm the bike? This may sound very n00b but I couldn't figure out how to take off the fairings. It seemed in order to take off one side, you need to take off the front as well right?

[themeatmanlandry]

DISCLAIMER: I'm no mechanic, but this is what I've been told.

I fill mine to near the top (just below the high mark). Don't go over that mark, and definitely don't go under the bottom one. Going over the top mark puts too much oil in the crankcase, and results in the crankshaft dipping into the oil and you lose horsepower through "windage," not to mention the fact that the oil is whipped into a froth. If you go too low, there's simply not enough oil there to do the trick (I know . . . Duh!?!).

It's perfectly fine to mix old and new oil, so long as they are the same oil. The reasoning behind this is that each manufacturer uses different additives, and these additives only work in a certain concentration range (so I'm told). If you mix oil A (which uses additive X) and oil B (which uses additive Y), the concentration of both X and Y will be well below their intended concentrations, and there won't be enough of either there to work properly.

I don't know about the oil warm-up/fairing questions. Consult your owner's manual?

[SDSUsnowboards]

No owners manual
Otherwise I'd have no questions unless the owners manual confuses me too.